


Safe Harbour

by Jezmatron



Series: Space Captain Catra [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Conversations in SPAAACE, Deep Space Nine FEEEEELS, F/M, F/M pairing, Guess who's Garak...., Implications of trauma, Married!, Minor mention of sexual activity, Romance, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:42:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27052861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezmatron/pseuds/Jezmatron
Summary: Bow loves his work. His job is to fix things.He's pretty good at it.Aboard a space station, that means heat sinks, fuel valves, green houses.And occasionally, the odd dangerous mercenary with no reason to trust anyone.
Relationships: Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Space Captain Catra [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935604
Comments: 28
Kudos: 45





	Safe Harbour

Holo vids would have you believe life on a space station was a glamorous affair - all promenades and bantering shop keeps, with a fantastic window to grant a vista of the stars beyond. A place to build new adventures and lives. A hub where you could find your purpose in adventure and shady deals; luxury amidst the solar winds; fantastical stories in the darkest night of space.

The reality was far more utilitarian and, from Bow’s experience, tended to involve far too many crawlspaces for his liking.

Well, that was a lie. He loved it. Loved ripping apart a piece of equipment to see how it worked, to then find the problem and then  _ fix _ it.

Which was why he was currently in an access tube, deep within the hub, trying to solder several wires together. The heat was bordering on uncomfortable, a reality of space station living - yes, they were in a rock; yes, the vacuum of space was cold; yes this tube was adjacent to the greenhouses. Three very good reasons why it was  _ so damn hot _ .

Good thing he preferred cropped uniforms, really.

The rock around them was a great insulator - it meant fewer errant electrical signals were able to escape and alert any Imperial probe patrols; it also meant heat had to be managed VERY carefully across the complex.

The vacuum of space was just that - a vacuum. The cold came from the fact heat bled away from easy radiators. But the rock wasn’t an easy radiator. So, the heat just… sat there.

And the greenhouses were, really, hothouses. The lamps, the water vapour, it all contributed to a rather muggy sensation that permeated into the access tubes, which doubled as air circulation vents, as well as cable runs.

Bow winced as a set of burnt out cables sparked. He cursed in his normal not-really-cursing way and checked the data pad next to him. He was lying in an awkward, half prone position, the pad propped up against his tool kit. He placed the screwdriver he was using to hold back a few cables between his teeth, then scrolled through the blueprints.

They weren’t  _ great _ blueprints. More sketches, really. Because the place had been cobbled together and jury rigged to hell and back. Mostly by Bow himself. He blinked tiredly at the screen then groaned as he leaned back and let his head hit the panelled floor of the tube. With a huff, he tapped the screen to bring up the internal comms list. He waited a moment for the connection, then saw the face of the Head Botanist, Perfuma Hedera, appear on the screen. She smiled, which made her tanned skin crease - that time around UV light was good for her, clearly. She had her wavy blonde hair back in a neat pony-tail and her eyes crinkled with amusement.

“ _ Stuck again, Chief? _ ”

“Ha ha,” he smiled back at her, “No. But… I need you to do me a favour, ‘Fuma. Can you shut off power to greenhouses two and three?” he saw her face slip into a concerned frown, “Only for five minutes. I think I know why this keeps burning out.”

“ _ OH? Oh no, is… is it my? Why didn’t you say anything Bow?” _

He smiled at her fraught expression, “Not your fault. Telling you  _ now _ . So, don’t fret. Seems like it’s a combination of the power draw, the heat and moisture messin’ with the circuits down here and the fact we’ve got the wrong power couplings installed. I knew I’d done a bit of a rush job here, so this is on me.”   


“ _ Don’t be harsh on yourself. We all make mistakes. And frankly… considering you practically rebuilt this place, I think it’s wonderful.” _

“You mean it’s a miracle it hasn’t caught fire!” he chuckled.

“ _ Hmmm, well, as long as Glimmer doesn’t use the still too often, we should be fine!” _ Perfuma giggled. Bow groaned again.

“Another thing on the to-do list.”

Perfuma gave him a sympathetic smile, “ _ Angella loading you up?” _

“Not too badly. Think she’s… trying to take it easy on people. Y’know, since…”   


_ “Since she nearly got us all spaced by pissing off the wrong mercenary? Yes, I had noticed,” _ Perfuma’s gaze was wry and she shook her head, “ _ Honestly, it’s like she hadn’t even MET Adora. I could tell she wasn’t a pushover, why couldn’t Angella?” _

Bow winced. Perfuma had a tendency to “tell it like it was”, but usually in a more diplomatic way. It was a sign of the frustration of the current station compliment that if  _ Perfuma _ was irritated with Angella, well… the rest of the crew was likely livid.

Which led to the connected issue of  _ Adora _ .

“Well, she seemed… pleasant enough? I mean, good at cards, relatively approachable?”

“ _ Bow, I know you know her better than that.” _

“Ok, ok. Strung tighter than a damn guitar. But what miners aren’t when they come back in? And, yeah... I actually kinda like her. She's _good people_. Honestly, we were all just... getting to know her better, actually close to her opening up.”

_ “We’ve heard the,... oh what is it the troopers say…. Scuttlebutt? Yes, that’s it! How she’s ex Horde, you know? But that she totalled a CRUISER! Yes, a Scout Cruiser, but still. Single handed! And then Angella tried to strong arm her? That’s…. Bizarre.” _

Bow leaned back and sighed, “Don’t. It’s…. Look, we’re eking things out, right, making do? Granted, Angella made a major  _ major _ error trying to not pay for the goods and, well, yeah… we came damn close to kissing vacuum. I guess, I can  _ see _ Angella’s motives? They’re crappy. But, well, we are living close to the edge her.”

Perfuma sighed, “ _ Just doesn’t seem wise alienating allies.” _

“Yeah… well, lesson learned, maybe.”

_ “Has she… come back aboard?” _

Bow shot a smirk back at the video screen, “Why, you hoping for a bit of social time?” Perfuma tried to hold her head up high, but her slight smile and faint blush hindered her attempt. Bow sighed and went on, “She docks… but she sleeps on the  _ Swift Wind _ . It’s…  _ awkward _ .”

“ _ Oh?” _

“Yep. Doesn’t let the deck crew near the ship. Nearly toasted poor Brody when he went near her. Juliette has a security contingent on deck. Not obvious buuuut…. Yeah, Adora made them pretty much straight away. Marched up to one wearing a dock-workers outfit and hoisted them, first time back aboard. Kinda scary.”

Perfuma frowned and nodded,  _ “It won’t end well.” _

“Ain’t that the truth. Buuuut she’s keeping the field clear. Heard she kept a few drones busy, let some supply ships past to the colonies at least. Earning her pay.”   


_ “Well…. I better let you get on Bow. Canteen? Or are we having a racket-ball session later?” _

“Maybe, got to reroute this, then check some of the coolant valves for the generators… if not, see you at Glim’s later this week?”

_ “Hopefully!” _

The comm disconnected and Bow waited until the indicator on the pad showed the power had stopped flowing. WIth a smile, he set to changing the fuse and reconnecting cables.

\------

A few hours later Bow stumbled into the canteen and slumped into a free metal chair. The station canteen wasn’t in the bar - it was a communal galley away from the market. Less food stall and more food store; the Hub had its own culinary attractions, but the canteen was the go to if you didn’t want to spend too much in barter.

Bow ran a hand through his flat-top hair and blew out a sigh. His dark skin was stained with oil and coolant fluids. The electricals had been the  _ easy _ part of his day,

A tray clattered onto the silver, metal table in front of him, which caused Bow to glance up. A blonde stood next to the table, one hand on their hip, the other holding another tray. They gave Bow a toothy grin, “Hey, Chief. Not seen you at my stall recently.”

Bow chuckled, “DT. Buying me lunch now?”

“Psh, all part of my grand marketing strategy to lure you back to somewhere with  _ style _ .”

“Never did figure why we needed a tailor,” ribbed Bow, as he glanced at the basic food in front of him. DT waved a hand airily.

“Hardly a  _ tailor _ , darling. A purveyor of  _ threads _ . Metaphorical and literal. Also, you know I don’t just do clothes,” DT slid with reptilian elegance into the chair opposite Bow, “No lady friend today?”

Bow eyed the blonde reptilian carefully and shrugged, “I have so many, you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Oh! So  _ bold _ . But you are a looker, I’ll give you that. I was thinking…. Tall, blonde and dangerous?”

Bow paused and gave DT an arched eyebrow, “Really? You probably know more than me.”

“No harm in  _ checking _ . You know  _ who _ she is, right?” That just got a shrug from Bow, which in turn made DT grin, “Let’s just say, if Angie dear had bothered  _ asking _ , I could have saved everyone a bit of grief,” they pouted, then began to daintily pick at the various items on the partitioned tray in front of them. Bow laid his fork down and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

“Alright, I’ll bite.”

“Oh. Promises  _ promises _ . What would your pink haired friend think? She already has  _ issues _ over our lovely Botanist… who is  _ very _ lovely.”

Bow smirked, “Is she now?”

“What? An enterprising individual such as myself has to have their distractions!”

“Uh huh, so, come on, you want to tell me something.”   


“Ooof, all business. Well, our former Horde friend isn’t just some washout pilot. No, she’s top tier. Praetorian guard maybe. The sort of skill you have to have to be near  _ bred _ for. OR at least gene-modded to hell and back.”

Bow scoffed, “The Imperials barely have that tech level running anymore. Only on the Capital.”

DT shrugged, “I hear things. And I have my contacts. Basically, Angie dear really rolled snake eyes on this one. Thing is,  _ why _ ?”

The Chief huffed, “Don’t want to speculate… not our place.”   


DT eyed him carefully, “It’s the ship, right? She wanted the ship. Hell, I don't know one end of a ship from the other, ports or starboard. Can you drink starboard? ANYWAY even I know that thing is one of a kind.”

“No idea. All I know is Adora went to chat to Angie and ten minutes later, I have a mech on my flight deck ripping a fighter in two and threatening to vent the station.”

“You don’t seem all that angry…”

“Wasn’t, really. Could kind of see Adora's perspective, you know?”

DT hummed, “I suppose. I know I wouldn’t like to be  _ unintentionally  _ bent over something,” Bow snorted at that one and DT beamed, “Oh, he  _ does _ have a dark side.”   


“Clearly I just need to have spent my day in dark passageways to get there,” snarked Bow. DT arched an eyebrow.

“Careful. That’s dangerously close to flirting, mech-boy.”

“Well if I get any closer, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Bow levelled his fork at DT and chuckled, then finished his food, “Appreciate this. Lunch on me next time, a’ight?”

“A date, for me?” DT placed a hand on their sparsely covered chest, rather overly-dramatically “Flattered, I am.”

“It’s lunch, DT. Don’t go crazy,” Bow picked his tray up and headed for the washup station, “Thanks… and maybe tell Angie that little snippet?”

“Already done! The look on her FACE!” DT grinned like a cat, “Better than  _ applause _ .”

\---------------------------

Life on a space station could be arduous; a never ending cycle of tasks broken up by shifts and sleep cycles before the next inexorable shift. He’d heard that Military stations in Horde space operated like that - a deadly dull trudge between sleep and never ending tasks. The mind so dulled it couldn’t think of countering orders, or mutiny, or disobedience.

Bow felt lucky that they were, at heart, a less rigid organisation. They had routine, but not crushing rhythm. THey had actual, legitimate  _ down _ time.

Which is why, after hours of crawling through access tubes, stripping down drive cores and helping troopers reassemble out-dated and jury rigged blasters, he was grateful to stagger through the access hatch of his shared quarters.

The pastel drapes, the low, muted lighting, the lingering perfume - it made his tension just ebb away. One wall was stacked with old fashioned  _ paper _ books, alongside scraps of half assembled contraptions. His small work bench was neatly ordered and laid out; the bed, too large for one but  _ just right _ for two, was neatly made. His work, of course…

With a groan, he tossed his tool kit to one side, over the back of a spare chair. The quarters were cosy; that was the polite way of putting it. Space was at a premium and Angella had wisely decided to avoid ostentation for even ranking officers. If they were planetside, maybe it’d have been different. But Bow actually liked the setting. It forced them to be clever with their space.

Opposite his area was a space set aside for more culinary arts; but there was also a small terminal next to it, for research. On the third wall, opposite the main door, sat the bed, built into the rock itself in its own alcove. A smaller door led to a cramped all-in-one cubicle for ablutions.

Bow sagged into the chair in front of his work bench and rolled it forwards, then pulled his personal tablet towards him. Idly he cycled through several schematics, intent on reviewing the next day’s schedule, along with his personal projects. His eyes fluttered and slowly he leaned forwards - five minutes would be fine.

Arms gently threading over his shoulders drew Bow back to consciousness as a gentle kiss pressed against his temple. A soft, amused voice whispered in his ear, “Tough day?”

He opened one eye and peered at the crown of pink hair that draped across his face. He smiled lazily, “Hey Glim, babe. You’re back early.”

The arms around his shoulders squeezed tightly, “Knocked off early. Let Frosta take over for the night. It’s late cycle and, y’know, after this week I wanted to see my damn  _ husband _ .”

Bow reached up and clasped her hands, “And your husband appreciates it,” he studied her face, then stood and embraced her, “Bad day, huh?”

Glimmer laid her head against his chest, her pink bob cut flatted against his work shirt. She slipped her arms down and hugged his wait, “Ugh. Just… it’s so  _ tense _ . Everyone’s rattled. Juliette looks like crap, the store holders are getting all jumpy and… well…  _ mom _ ’s a wreck.”

Bow chuckled and hugged her to him, then began to sway gently, an action that always soothed his firecracker of a wife, “Well… she diiiiid…”

Glimmer swatted a hand against his back, then leaned back to mock glare up at him, “I  _ know _ what she did. She screwed up. Forgot that we’re not on the Capital anymore; that people out here don’t brush off a  _ teeny tiny _ bit of political backstabbing as the norm. SHe forgot that people here don’t just chalk it up to experience and move onto the next scheme.”

She laid her head against his chest again and sighed. Bow nodded slowly, then gently and awkwardly walked her to the bed alcove. Glimmer giggled as he faux-fell and dragged her down with him and the pair sprawled on the space. They adjusted and laid out, Glimmer cuddled against Bow’s side. He ran a hand gently up and down her back and her eyes drooped. He smirked, “Tired? I thought I was supposed to be the one dozing.”

“I’m sure all your fixing and welding and hammer was  _ very _ tiring. But I had to  _ pour drinks _ , Bow. POUR THEM. My wrist is tired…”

Bow hummed and arched an eyebrow and Glimmer’s eyes hooded for a moment as she smirked. She swatted at him again, but grinned wider. Bow held up his free hand, “Alright. I’ll let you recover before request any wrist related activities… you hungry?”

Glimmer rolled back and sighed, “Yeah. Do you mind…? Just something simple.”

“Dehydrated noodles it is, babe. You can do something fancy with the imported stuff tomorrow.”

“Ugh, need to thank Adora for saving that convoy… if I can get her to talk,” Glimmer huffed and Bow stood to head to their small kitchenette. He rooted around and fished out a pair of silvery dehydrated packs, which he attached to a boiler unit. It would flood the packs with boiled water, then beep when they were ready. He attached them to the small hoses, then leaned against the counter and smiled gently at his prone wife as she fidgeted on the bed.

“I take it she’s not gone back to the bar? I mean, she doesn’t turn up for cards, or for our normal shooting-the-shit chatter.”

“She’s come by once. To grab a bottle. Juliette tried talking to her but  _ wow _ if looks could kill… I saw her head to the shower block last week, y’know? Someone followed her in, came out with two black eyes and a broken nose. Well, I say came out. Security found them after Adora finished… I don’t even think they went in there after her, just… spooked her.”   


Bow sighed and shook his head, “This can’t go on…”

“Well, mom’s been going mad. Tries to talk to her but… yeah, that goes no where. Adora turns up to the security room, gets briefed, goes out, comes back. Then, apparently, just hangs around the hangar bay.”

Bow nodded, “Yeah, poor Brody nearly got welded to the deck when he went close to Swift Wind. Heard about Juliette’s little security detail getting routed too. Y’know that thing turns robot if she’s away from it?” he whistled low through his teeth, “Man, I just… wish we could get a look at it.”

Glimmer slumped back, “That ship’s sailed. And, the worst bit? I  _ like _ Adora. She’s… good people. Honest. And my mom screwed it up. We could have had her on side! With us. Now she’s loyal as long as we keep her paid. Just feels  _ wrong _ .”

Bow folded his arms as next to him, the steam unit hissed and bubbled, “Wrong?”

His wife sat up on her elbows and nodded, “You know me. I get a feel for people. And she… she’s so  _ alone _ , Bow. It just bleeds off her.”

He nodded, then chewed his lip, “DT let me have a bit of info today, for free.”

“HAH! It’s never free. Just remember, you’re mine, they can’t have you.”

Bow chuckled, “Not still hung up on ‘Fuma?”

“Hey, she’s cool. Just… no drinks without me knowing, ok? I know she had the hots for you. You’re  _ mine _ , babe.”

“And you’re mine too,” he smiled gently and nodded, “But, yeah… DT mentioned that Adora is... maybe a bigger deal than we expected. She’s not just ex Horde. She’s potentially  _ Praetorian _ .”   


Glimmer blinked, “What. The. HELL?”

“Yep.”

Glimmer slumped back and gasped, “Mom is so lucky she’s still alive.”

“Yep.”

“Juliette too.”

“Yep.”

She sat up again, “Do they know?”

“I think DT told your mom.”   


“ _ Hell _ , no wonder she’s locked herself in her office. This could get a  _ lot _ worse.”

Bow groaned, “She won’t try anything, right?”

“Bow, have you  _ seen _ a Praetorian lose their shit? I have. I was young, but I saw one of the guard on Prime. Watched him take out some protestors, didn’t break a sweat. Seven people hospitalised, three dead. I was in a motorcade, but… yeah. Damn… that girl could….”

The chief nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He heaved a sigh, “We’re going to have to fix this, right? Cos Adora… she deserves  _ some damn peace _ . I see her landing, walking around the pad. She looks half dead some days.”

Glimmer nodded, “Damn, no wonder she’s alone. You barely leave the Horde… no one leaves the Praetorians. Not unless they’re in a coffin. No wonder she has trust issues. And my mom…  _ dammit _ that woman just doesn’t  _ think _ about context. Trying so hard to be some outland ruler.”

“Well… she is trying to run a functional outpost  _ and _ a nascent rebellion.”

Glimmer scoffed, “What rebellion? We’re a damn smuggling hub. She near panicked when that scout ship showed up at the system edge! And she goes and alienates the one person who would have been the  _ most _ in support of us. And also my best damn customer,” she slapped the bed and huffed, which drew a faint grin from Bow, then shook her head, “And someone I actually… could see being friends with.”

Bow nodded and then plucked the silver bags from the water-unit. He popped them open and gestured to the kitchenette bar. Glimmer harrumphed, then hauled herself from the bed. Bow watched her move with an arched eyebrow, appreciating her curves and the way she rolled her shoulders as she stood, “Damn,...”   


She smirked, “See something you like?”

“You know it,” he offered her the noodles, then fished in a drawer for a set of chopsticks, which he then handed over. Glimmer beamed at him, then sat at a stool at the kitchen bar. They ate in silence, then sat back and groaned with satisfaction. Glimmer smiled softly and closed her eyes.

“Gonna brush my teeth. Bed?”

Bow nodded, “Bed. Then plan?”

Glimmer’s smile became mischievous, “Bed,  _ wrist _ activities… then plan.”

Bow nearly fell over as he scrambled to yank off his boiler suit.

\-------

An hour later, Glimmer cuddled closer to Bow, one shapely leg draped across his, her naked chest pressed against his as she lay half across him. She had a pleased flush to her face and Bow heaved a few large breaths. He grinned with a faint dazed expression on his face, then leaned down to press a kiss to Glimmer’s forehead.

“You ok?”

She hummed a response and hugged him tighter, “Oh yes. To the moon and back.”

“We don’t have a moon.”

“Which gives you and idea of how far I went,” she giggled and nudged him, her voice taking on a smug air, “And I do love making your eyes roll.”

“You, madam, are a minx.”   


She propped herself up and smiled, “Your minx.”

He grinned, “Hell yes. So…”

“So…”

“Adora. Think we can salvage this?”

Glimmer peered at him then nodded slowly, “I think…  _ you _ can salvage this.”   


“Me?”

“Yep,” Glimmer popped the ‘p’ in the word, “Heck, you got those smugglers to not lay out the dockers over fees that one time.”   


“It was a fluke, I had to…”

“And you got the merchants to give us those parts.”   


“Sea Hawk  _ had _ just set fi…”

“Aaaaand you got the mechanics to work three shifts in a row after those pirate raids….”

“Look, that…”

“Point  _ is _ babe… people  _ listen _ to you. You just need the right words. Adora won’t listen to my mom - she doesn’t  _ trust _ her. I’m… too close, so she isn’t sure. She  _ wants _ to I know but… she’d always think I had an agenda.”

“She clearly doesn’t  _ know _ you yet Glim,” Bow reassured. His wife gently poked his hard chest.

“You, mister, are biased. And I love you for it. But… I almost  _ was _ like her. And I know I could be. So, no, I’m not the right person for this.”

Bow heaved a sigh and nodded slowly, “Alright. I’ll… think about it.”

Glimmer smiled, then slid her hand from his chest down his stomach. She leaned up and whispered into his ear with a grin, “I’ll help incentivise.”

“Making it conditional huh?”

Glimmer winked, then  _ squeezed _ , “Nah. I’d do  _ this _ anytime.”

Bow squeaked, grinned, then rolled on top of her.

\------------------------

The Swift Wind was a beautiful ship. Not in looks, but in how it held together. The arrow-shape, the seamless lines where you could just make out how it unfolded into its mining configuration, even the scorch marks across it’s beige-white exterior.

Bow watched the vessel from by the access hatch to the main concourse. Next to him Brody chewed his lip and shook his head, “You sure this is wise?”

“She’s.. .antsy, that’s all. Can you blame her?”

“Well,. Not really. Scuttlebut is that a lot of people on board have lost faith in Angie after this.”

“DT said something similar,” murmured Bow. Brody nodded sadly.

“I mean, we love her. She built this place… but…”

“You’re only as good as your last decision, I know,” sighed Bow, “Well.. this is an attempt to  _ make nice _ with the terrifying mercenary who could easily kill us all without breaking a sweat."   


Brody grinned, “No pressure Chief.”

“Yeah, if I die… all my work tickets are on you,” he laughed as the portly man paled next to him, “Wish me luck.”

Brody nodded and turned back to his pad, reviewing the work orders on the landed ships… sans one very prominent one. Bow hefted his toolkit, then strode towards the Swift Wind. He took a few steadying breaths as he approached. He could make out a figure in overalls and a flight jacket atop the craft, welding torch in hand, blonde hair swept into a tight ponytail. He heard a muffled curse and watched the figure light up as they applied the torch to the craft, goggles held to their face. He paused at the edge of the pad and called up.

“Hey! Adora!”

The reaction was immediate. Adora whirled atop the ship, torch forgotten, pistol in hand. Bow swallowed as he saw it trained, unerringly, down at him. Cold blue eyes regarded him with a slight glare.

“What do you want Bow?”

“Just… a moment, if you have five minutes? I’m not on the pad, just… thought you might appreciate an actual mechanic’s perspective?”

Adora regarded him as he stood there, hands outstretched, in full view. Beyond him, a few of the security detail looked about ready to panic. But no one moved. Adora snorted.

“What. Angella send you down here to make nice? Get a good look at Swift Wind? Then kick me to the curb  _ again _ ?”

Her voice was flat, disdainful, but he could hear the faint crack as she spoke. He shook his head, “Look, I get it. Angella  _ fucked up _ . But… you’ve been out on how many sorties now? Then done your own maintenance and refits? Adora… you sure…?”

“I can do it. You guys  _ paid _ me, so I’m doing it.”

“And what good can you do if your coolant core isn’t patched? Or you get a breach because your weld wasn’t good? Look… Angella isn’t  _ me _ . There’re still good people here, Adora.”

The woman scoffed and shook her head, but she lowered the pistol. Bow carefully reached down and slid a pad out of his tool kit. He held it up and she frowned, “What’s that? Some scanner?”

“Naw… my personal pad. Downloaded some old Tug schematics. Had a read up. No idea what else you did to this boy but… this is the baseline. I  _ want _ to help, Adora. But… on  _ your _ terms. I want to show you that… that we aren’t all  _ Angella _ , ok? Yeah, damn right we’ve got a vested interest. But we aren’t all just thinking about surviving.”

Adora holstered her pistol, then clambered down off the craft. As soon as her feet touched the deck the thing whirred and shifted, forming into its bipedal form. Bow stared, in awe - the thing  _ looked _ like a mining frame, at least at first glance. But the blue outline and the strange, golden holograms all across it belied something else. His gaze tracked down and focused on Adora, who was watching him with a measured gaze. She pursed her lips.

“Surviving. I’ve heard that line before.”   


He nodded, “We’re in a crap situation. I’m not gonna excuse what Angella did. She was being stupid. Even Glimmer thinks so. Hell, most of the station does. You’ve pulled our asses out of the fire so far, even before this - pirates, salvage, mining… hell, Adora, I think at one point we pretty much saw you as our fuel supply.”

He smiled and he saw her swallow, then look away. She tried to hide a sniff, “Yeah, well… I thought… I thought,” she rolled her head and jutted her chin out, then refocused her glare on him, “Loyalty’s a two way street, Bow.”

He nodded gently, “I know. And I won’t try to excuse it. She panicked, only saw your old Imperial connections, thought we couldn’t trust you. That SHE couldn’t trust you. It was a stupid call. She thought you;d get over it - she’s old school Prime politics, where people just… chalk it up to experience, maybe hold a grudge. Point is, she isn’t  _ tactical _ smart.”

Adora huffed and shook her head, “Too much, too soon Bow.”   


“Then why are you sticking around?”

She shrugged but didn’t meet his gaze, “Pays well. Got food. Not having to run molecules through a recycler to get some paste out of space dust to eat.”

Bow snorted, “Yeah, fair. That stuff is  _ nasty _ .”   


“Somehow worse’n Horde rations. And that only game in grey and brown.”

“Yeesh. Reminds me of my dad’s early cooking.”

Adora smiled faintly, then locked her expression down. Bow nodded and waited. She regarded him, then looked at the pad in his hand, “Schematics?”

“Yeah.”

“Why Bow? Really, I mean.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Because…. We need you and this relationship is  _ way _ too tense and  _ really _ messing with my energy? And because Glim said if I don’t convince you, I don’t get laid later?” he flashed her a faux-pleading grin. Adora couldn’t help but snort at that and Bow grinned wider, “Seriously though, she isn’t that cruel  _ and _ she can’t resist these abs.”

Adora chuckled despite herself, “That why you show them off?”

“Hey, gotta advertise!” he chided, then shrugged, “I’d  _ love _ to work on Swift Wind. Honestly. Can’t lie. But I would just  _ help _ . He’s  _ yours _ . Nothing going to change that. But I’d rather you didn’t  _ die _ . I thought.. .well I thought we were all getting better at getting to know each other. And, y’know… I wanted to show you that you can’t judge all of us here by the actions of others. We aren’t  _ all  _ bad…. mostly.”

He said it gently and watched her. She eyed him, then crossed her arms. Then she uncrossed them and gestured to a stack of supplies on the pad, “Just… leave it there for now. Please.”

She watched him as he set the pad down atop a stack of scrap. He paused and smiled.

“Not gonna demand anything. When you’re ok… let me know, alright? This is my pad but… send something to Glim. She misses you. And, well, I don’t want you eating vacuum. I still gotta win back that bottle of moonshine.”

Adora’s face quirked into a ghost of a smile. He held up his hands, then hefted his toolkit. He felt her eyes on him as he marched back to the airlock.

It wasn’t until later, when he and Glimmer retreated back to their room and were about to settle down for another night of relaxed “exercise” that their terminal pinged with a message.

_ First thing AM. Bring tools. Don’t fuck me over. _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ Adora _

  
  


The pair of them relaxed as they read the message, then hugged. Glimmer bit her lip and nodded at the terminal, “One day at a time.”

Bow exhaled, faintly relieved. Baby steps, yes. But, maybe, just maybe, they could build a bridge. 

The Hub was a place of lost souls, people trying to make do. A place where people found a way, in the dark void, to forge a purpose. To build a new life. It wasn’t just survival; not just existing. It was freedom against adversity. Yeah, it was utilitarian. And involved crawlspaces. And grease. And grit.

But it  _ was _ a place to find your purpose; your own, small, personal adventure. Bow had found his in Glimmer and the joy of keeping things  _ going _ . Glimmer had found it in the freedom away from the Capital… and in the heart of a man who loved her. And whom she loved.

And maybe. Just maybe… they could help another find their way; help mend a lost soul.

Holo vids would have you believe living on a space station was a glamorous affair. But it was dark, dirty.

And much more worthwhile.

**Author's Note:**

> There you go. Space fluff and conversations.
> 
> Also GLIMBOW! Being cute. Hope you liked ;) 
> 
> All these vignettes will eventually lead into a long-form fic. Eventually. As long as I can plot the darn thing out. I'm kind of... setting the stage for what the setting FEELS like right now.
> 
> As ever, comments VERY MUCH WELCOME!


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